Remains Believed To Be Missing Florida Girl; Mother Faces Charges

JACKSONVILLE, FL. — Human remains found in a wooded area of Alabama Tuesday are believed to be those of missing 5-year-old Taylor Rose Williams of Florida. The child's mother is facing charges following an apparent drug overdose, according to the Jacksonville State Attorney and Jacksonville Sheriff.

"This is obviously not the outcome any of us had hoped to reach," explained State Attorney Melissa W. Nelson, speaking at an early evening press conference. "This investigation has led us to what we believe to be the remains of Taylor Rose."

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said the child's mother, Brianna Williams, was charged with child abuse and making false statements to law enforcement officers in connection with statements she allegedly made during the search for her child.

The mother was admitted to a local hospital on Tuesday in serious condition, but the sheriff said he did not know if the drug overdose was intentional.

The human remains were discovered earlier in a wooded area between the cities of Linden and Demopolis, Alabama.

On Monday the sheriff said investigators were treating Brianna Williams as a person of interest in her daughter's disappearance as the search expanded into Alabama.

"The search effort was a massive operation which included highly skilled teams," according to the sheriff's office.

The sheriff told reporters earlier that Brianna Williams, stopped cooperating with police last week when she was questioned about inconsistencies in her account.

"She has not spoken to us since Wednesday and she was the last person to see Taylor," the sheriff said. "She is a person of interest in this case and we still need her cooperation in our efforts."

The search for Taylor Rose Williams began last Wednesday and quickly evolved into a Florida statewide amber alert. Hundreds of law enforcement officers went door to door near the child's home in Jacksonville and at a previous address.

"At this point, JSO will await confirmation as forensics tests are completed," the sheriff's office said Tuesday. "Operational efforts will now shift to secure and process the evidence at the scene."

See also:

Mother Of Missing Florida Girl Considered Person Of Interest

Search For Missing Florida Girl; Mother Not Cooperating: Sheriff

The sheriff said 38 members of the Jacksonville Fire Rescue urban search and rescue team were among those deployed to Alabama following a request to Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry.

"The information that drove us to Alabama demanded this kind of response, and we absolutely hope to find her alive," he said Monday.

Police were initially called to the child's home in the 600 block of Ivy Street on Wednesday morning at 7:22 a.m. Brianna Williams told police she noticed her back door was unlocked.

"When she checked her daughter’s bedroom looking for little Taylor, Taylor was actually gone," Chief of Investigations Thomas Waters with the sheriff's office said earlier of the mother's account. "She told investigators that the child had been been last seen around midnight."

The child's father lives in another state but the entire family has been described as cooperative with the exception of Brianna Williams.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office said the search team included representatives of the Demopolis Police Department, Demopolis Fire Department, Linden Police Department, Marengo County Sheriff’s Office, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency State Bureau of Investigations, 17th Circuit Drug Task Force, 17th Circuit District Attorney’s Office, Alabama Attorney General’s Office, FBI Mobile, Birmingham and Jacksonville offices as well as members of multiple units with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, Jacksonville Fire and Rescue and the State Attorney’s Office.

To report a tip, call the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office at 904-630-0500 or dial 9-1-1.